Thursday, December 31, 2009

When the shade of purple is as such, we may want to think that the growth of the fruit is in definite and distinct phases. The fruit possibly does not grow in a a fluid, continuous and non stop manner..... That is the second fruit, the first has ended up in Kakdah's fish curry! The third is still small...

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

It was quite late for my normal camera time. 6.30pm. But I noticed an interesting creature locally known as "belalang kunyit". Belalang is grasshopper. Kunyit is tumeric....... it is like saying a yellow grasshopper. I think belalang kunyit is the biggest among grasshoppers over here ....... about the size of normal thumb and the length of normal middle finger.... sorry for not giving the dimension in metric. (haha)

I know, this little guy had been chewing the leaves of senduduk. Look at the remnants!!.... I never see this guy hopping around and definitely not on grass. But why call it grasshopper?....

Monday, December 28, 2009

It rained around 3.30pm which lasted for about an hour. The air became clean, easing visibility through dusk. But the sky remained gloomy with a definite promise that the sky would break again spraying rain onto land and mountains soon.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Coconut husk as edging has been the regular feature of our little garden here. It doesn't provide modern and cosmopolitan feel of course, but it blends well with the surrounding and introducing rural look within our garden.

We use these extensively as edging for the vegetable bed. The plants, sweet potatoes had been pulled out and allowed to dry and decompose while we are planning for the next crop. The one around the big ginger plant (lengkuas) had performing well, creating really cool environment for the ginger.

And the coconut husk will go a couple of rounds before it start to decompose....

Saturday, December 26, 2009

I was reading somewhere about a healthy garden is the one that support diversity of life, in the form of plants, veggies, butterflies, bugs, insects, ants, slugs, snails etc. And definitely Man will be the central feature within this diversity, being the one consciously working to create such environment. But there will be food chain within these diversity. One will chew another. One is the food of another.

Every morning, these marks are very much visible on concrete pavement beside the house. I know these are made by one of the many creature thriving in the garden... slugs and snails!!

Snails and slugs had been chewing our marigolds and soft veggies....... Oh well...

Thursday, December 24, 2009

I seldom allow plants to die standing. As soon as the plants are showing sign of old age, or serious pest attack, I will put emotion aside and pull out the plants. Our winged beans are showing every sign of getting old. Leaves getting smaller, beans start to emerge in awkward shapes and pests seem to hover around for a big kill.

I pull the plants out and dismantle trellie.... and thats the last of our winged beans.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

A month and a half absence is quite long for a garden. We took out the electric mower and walked thr ough the knee high grass and strip them down. Too many banana plants, therefore I cut off a few, chopped and piled them up. Tapioca plant got blown by wind, and kissed the ground and that has to go as well. Winged beans getting too old, and I let it go.

Kakdah was busy herself with her hanging garden. Yeop, our eldest son forgot to water them throughout our absence, and you can imagine the state of the plants having to survive on water vapour and dew!!

We were discussing about the next crop taking into consideration crop rotation and the weather... huh, it is going to be tough playing and gardening when rain falls everyday!

Monday, December 21, 2009

They grow rather quick. The other day, most look rather like babies with bulging bellies. But now some has thinned out and have fully grown wings. They start to pair off and they don't wait too long. They are at it right in my garden and right in front of me, and the camera!

With their fully grown wings, soon they will fly off to a new place to start a new colony with lots of red babies. I think....

One has bigger belly, so that must be the female,... Hmm, I could be wrong.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Years ago, every time the kekabu fruits at the back of Mom's House dry up and send fluffy cotton-like material and drop seeds on the ground, these insects will always be around. I cant figure out where they come from and why they hang around the kekabu seeds and the fluffy cotton-like material of kekabu. They dont bite... harmless for such an angry and fiery look with full red colour!

I never see these red bugs in our little vegetable garden before. But this morning, I saw a colony hiding behind roselle and lemon grass leaves. I assumed they are feeding on the leaves. These leaves could just be the thing they looking after. Huh.., after a month and a half absence, new creature start to pop up in our our garden.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Now, I am back, two weeks earlier than scheduled. One month and a half absence is over. For the moment, I may not be able to write new things about the garden or the adventure I had gone through with Kakdah. I am nursing sore heels and legs and adjusting to the old hot and wet weather. The adjustment will be over in no time I think. I am presenting the memories of the old days for today's post.

Among us, we call these buluh buncit. The more appropriate name is buddha belly bamboo. To be more scientific, lets call these bambusa ventricosa. My late dad went over to Langkawi to visit his youngest brother Pak Su some twenty years ago, and he brought home a bamboo cutting. The bamboo grew ever since. They really look like an army of swollen bellies...

I grew up here, in a place called Pantai Remis. The old house is still there. The bamboo still standing, guarding the old house and the memories..... Notice the white sandy soil?... yea, it took me a while to realise that not all earth is sandy!!